A noble fight The Emile story
by Ajay46
Summary: I am Emile. Once man, now monster. My name was Matthew. Then i killed my comrade...


Where did Emile come from before noble team? Come on, you've all wondered at some point…

'Hey, boy!' I tilt the silvery blade of my knife so that I can see the man's face in the reflection.

'Who you calling boy?' I ask without looking up. The old man's upside-down face is fixed in an unsteady expression.

'I know you; I know who you are…' I look upwards with suspicion and stand up, towering over the frail old man. 'You're Derek's kid. You're doing his knife thing.' I look down at the man silently.

'I'm not like him.' I turn around and walk away from the man, wanting to get away from him.

'So you say, but you still have that same look in your eyes. The Emelisee.' I stop walking.

'The what?' I ask without turning around, thinking I've heard that before.

'Emelisee. Sangheili origin. An elite who single-handedly slaughtered one hundred others out of sheer rage.' I stare blankly at the man.

'I'm not like him.' I head off down the footpath, continuing my patrol. 'I'm not like him.' I mutter to myself.

_6 hours later, Norus Delta time_

'Covenant!' I swing the butt of my shotgun around over my head and smash it into the door. The top half explodes into wooden shrapnel and dust. 'Covenant! Code violet! Get the fuck out!' I yell through the door as I turn around. I jump off the doorstep, over a bush and run straight for the house next door. The sky glows eerily with an orange tinge, as if it is the cloud of impending doom descending upon me. I place one hand on the fence and vault over into the next yard, charging towards the door. I draw my shotgun back and ram the door with maximum strength.

'Cov-' A black blur flies towards me and strikes me hard in the face. I fly backwards off the doorstep and land hard on the concrete behind me, hitting my head hard. Ignoring the nagging pain in my nose and head, I realise there are more immediate problems and pry my eyes open.

'Haaah!' I yell in fury as an elite lunges at me, claws raised. I swing my shotgun up and fire at it. Blue blood splatters across my face, and a second later something heavy lands on me. I wipe the blood from my face and push the elite's body off me. I jump to my feet hastily as I hear a scream from inside. I rush through the door and jump through a door on the left. An elite is facing away from me, standing over a woman. I run at him from behind and fire. It lurches forward and falls through the window above the woman. I run over and crouch beside the woman, swearing as I look at the blood running down her face from a huge gash across her cold forehead. I jump to my feet and run for the door. A blue thing flashes past me as I run out into the hallway, going through the doorway behind me and sticking to the wall. I spin and raise my shotgun and pull the trigger. Two things happen. The shotgun digs into my shoulder blade with recoil as I fire into the elite. Then there is a deafening flash and I feel myself being thrown through the air, then another pain in my head, then I am lying on the ground again. I look up as an elite raises a plasma rifle. I lean onto my neck and kick upwards, hitting the plasma rifle with my foot as it fires, knocking it into the air. One round skims across the side of my face and it erupts into searing pain. The elite draws one arm back over its head as its claws slide from its hand, glistening dangerously as he holds them over his head. He leans forward as he swings them straight down at me. I bring my arms up and catch him around the wrist just before his claws pierce my armour, surprising him with my strength. I pull him towards me and kick up with my foot again, kicking him in the stomach and flipping him over my head. I roll over onto my front and draw my knife from my shoulder sheath as I scramble to my feet. He leans forward away from me as he stands up, but I step in behind him and swing my knife down over his shoulder and into his stomach. I slide my free arm under his shoulder and pull him up to his feet with both the knife and my arm, then pull his head under my free arm, pull the knife out of him and fall backwards. I slam my knife down into his chin as I fall back on his head in a crude DDT. I push his body off me and get to my feet. I hear a sound from up the stairs behind me a little too late. I spin around quickly as a purple ray shoots at me from upstairs, hitting me on the shoulder. I grab my arm and stumble into the wall. Then I feel something on the back of my head, and then see the wall moving towards me at speed…

Something cold hits me in the face. I awake into the icy cold as I cough.

'Wake up sunshine.' I wipe water from my eyes as I turn to face the unfamiliar voice. I immediately go for my knife and draw it as I jump to my feet, and face the elite. He laughs in an uncomforting way as his guards give me meaningful looks, fingering their plasma rifles and occasionally making a motion with them.

'This can't be good.' I mutter as I look between the three.

'Out.' The elite points towards an exterior door. I look at the door, the back at the elite.

'Fuck off.' I say confrontationally. One of the elite guards steps forward.

'Move human.' He hisses as he holds the plasma rifle to my head. I stare at the weapon, curious of how trigger-happy the elite is. I slowly sway my head to the right. The elite follows me with the rifle. I rhythmically sway back to the left. The elite follows me with the weapon. 'Stop that!' he demands. I begin leaning to the right again, and the weapon goes to my right. I stop moving suddenly and jerk my head left as I stab out at the elite. His weapon drifts right as I move and his wild shot flies past me. I stab and twist with my knife before yanking it out. I kick the body towards the other guard as I rush towards him. He stumbles back as the body hits him, and I turn into him, shoulder barging and stabbing him in the stomach simultaneously. I spin to face the first elite, but freeze as I see him. He glares at me angrily as he holds his energy sword at the ready. I eye the formidable weapon for a few seconds as we stand deadlocked, and then sheath my blade.

'Out!' He shouts as he points at the door. I slowly walk towards the door, still staring at the elite as I go. There are elites outside. About one-hundred of them. They yell and cheer and boo as I exit the building. Many of them throw me occasional glances. They are all gathered around one central area, where there is an elite in the centre collecting some kind of transparent red material, like a currency. He suddenly begins yelling and shooing the elites away as he put away the red stuff. The crowd quickly moves away from the centre, leaving a ring of elites with a passage in the side, all gathered around the centre. 'Move.' I hear from behind me. I begin walking towards the centre of the elites, between them along the gap in the circle. They look at me strangely; some even seem to smile encouragingly, which has to be a bad sign. Others hiss and snarl at me as I walk past. One elite on my right gives me a particularly nasty look as he leans out towards me. I slide my hand up casually, then with one lightning quick motion, draw my blade and slice it across his throat. There is a chorus of yells as the elite falls dead behind me and I continue walking. The rest take half a step back as I pass them. I look over my shoulder and see the elite with an energy sword still marching behind me. As I reach the centre of the ring the elites close up the gap behind me. Opposite me, another marine steps out from a passage. He's smaller than me and holding his knife at his side, glaring at me with a wild look.

'Fight.' I turn around and give the energy sword elite a defiant look.

'Get stuffed.' I tell him.

'One of you kills the other, or we kill you both.' He says, not giving me much of a choice. I turn back around and walk into the centre of the ring. The other marine stalks towards me, still giving me a wild look.

'I'm not going to die… I'm not going to die…' He mutters as he approaches me.

'Hey, settle down man…' I say as I hold a hand up to him in a peaceful gesture. The figure continues to walk towards me threateningly. He suddenly leaps at me with a feral cry. I swing my arm up as his knife comes down on me. The blade bounces off the armour plate as I deflect his attack. He swings wildly at me again as the elites roar around us. I jump backwards as the knife flies my way but it nicks an exposed part of my elbow.

'Shit!' I mutter as I clutch the cut with my other hand. The other marine advances on me. I take my hand away and look at the crimson blood dripping from it. And that's it. That's the one thing that really gets me going. I stand up carefully with barely suppressed anger, shaking with rage. Maybe it's just genes, I don't know, but when I get pissed off, I really get pissed off. I slide the knife back into its sheath as I get a series of angry yells from the elites. The other marine grins maniacally, apparently at his soon-to-be victory over a surrendering opponent. I stand with my arms as my sides, doing my best to look calm. The man raises his knife, and swings it at me. My hand flies up and catches his arm quickly as I run into him. I drive my knee up into his stomach, still holding his arm. I wrench the knife from his hand and toss it to the ground as he doubles over. I grab the back of his hair with my left hand and pull him up a bit, then swing up with my right fist. The marine's head flicks backwards as blood splatters from his nose. I grab him by the shoulders with both arms and swing my head forward and headbutt him in his already broken nose. I hold one shoulder still as I take one arm away, keeping him upright, and swing a right hook at him. He falls over backwards, hitting the ground right after his teeth. I lean over him and draw my knife as the elites roar more than ever. I stab him. That's it. You can impale people, slash people, gut people, this was none of those. I just stab him, in and out, and then stand up. The elites roar as I head back towards the elite with the energy sword, giving him a blank look. I hate myself. I have become the thing I had vowed not to. The thing I despised more than anything else in the world. I just killed another man. I'm becoming my dad.

'There. I played your game. Now get me out of here.'

'Wake up human!' I open one eye casually as I hear the harsh voice yelling at me.

'Fuck you covvie.' I mutter as I close my eye again. Whatever this guy wants, it can't be good. I feel something cold suddenly hit me in the face. I jerk myself upright as I begin coughing and spluttering, soaking with water. Water, I hope. The elite grins meanly through the bars and drops his bucket. It bangs against the steel floor and rolls about, echoing hollowly.

'I said wake up.' He says. I wipe my hands down my scarred face to brush off excess water, still burning from the pain yesterday.

'You better hope to god I don't get outta hear.' I growl at him as I stand. I feel around my shoulder area instinctively.

'Looking for this?' he asks as he holds up a combat knife. I grit my teeth in anger as he holds it up to his eye and examines it. 'A nice weapon. I just may keep it.' He says as he spins it around his fingers. I struggle to keep myself under control as he toys with the knife. My knife. I look over his shoulder at the elite entering behind him.

'You! Tell this bastard to drop my stuff.' The elite turns around to see who I am talking to. I rush at the bars at full speed while he is looking away. I thrust both hands through the bars and grab him roughly around the neck. I pull him towards me with force, smashing his head against the bars repeatedly as I crush his windpipe. I wrap one arm around his neck as I grab the knife out of his hand and stab him in the stomach. The other elite yells at me and runs to help his comrade. I plunge the knife into him repeatedly as he writhes around in pain, convulsing wildly. I grip him tightly in a headlock with my arm and give him one last violent jerk, snapping his neck and I let go of his body and twist the knife around, pointing it towards the approaching elite. The elite freezes on the spot, eying my knife and breathing heavily as the other elite slides down the bars and collapses in a pile on the floor.

'Nobody.' I say with emphasis. 'Touches my knife.' I pull my arm back through the bars and walk backwards to the bench behind me, still staring at the elite as I sit, playing with the blade. 'You got that you ugly motherfucker?' I say challengingly. The elite takes a couple of steps back, then turns and walks out the door quickly.

'Jesus Matt. You're one tough bitch.' I grunt expressionlessly at the comment from the cell beside me.

'Not tough. I just got the balls to stand up.' I say without looking up from my knife. 'So tell me Jackson. Where the fuck are we?'

'Hell, I wish I knew. Last thing I saw was a huge elite running towards me.' Jackson says with worry in his voice. 'I wish I was dead.' He says at length. 'I would rather be dead than be here. Who knows what they want with us…' he says quietly.

'All I know is they've left me alive. Big mistake.' I say with anger building as I reach into my pocket and finger the key I took from my guard…

I look up from my knife as I hear a door open. Two elites are walking towards me from the end of the corridor. I stare them down as I run one finger up my knife blade meaningfully. One elite snarls at me as approaches, but keeps his distance from the bars. The other bends down, watching me carefully and grabs the dead elite by the feet and drags him away from the bars. He drags it some distance down the corridor and examines the body. The second elite stares back at me hatefully, then turns around and heads back to the first.

'Everything here?' he asks. The second nods.

'Yeah. The dumbass didn't have the brains to take the key from his body fortunately, and the only thing missing is the guys knife that he took.' The elite says as I quietly slide my unlocked cell door open and creep towards them, holding my knife at my side. 'That's humans for you-' I cut him off as I swing my knife around into his throat. I give it a twist and rip it out before the second elite can react. I slap my free hand around his mouth, trying to silence him, which is awkward because of his split jaw. I sheath my knife and grab him around the throat with my other hand, slamming his head back into the wall with both hands. Holding his mouth, I draw my fist back and punch furiously at his stomach. He keels over forward in pain, but I shove his head back into the wall again, draw my knife and stab him in the stomach. I carefully take my hand away from his mouth. He doesn't move. I let go and let him drop to the floor and grab the key off the other elite, then head back to Jackson's cell.

'You said you wish you were dead?' I ask as I place the key in the door.

'Well i-'

'Here's your chance. Get out or die trying.' I slide his cell door open and he jumps to his feet. 'Grab the plasma rifle.' I say as I point to the dead elite's plasma rifle.

'What about you? You need something Matt.' He says in protest. I shake my head.

'I'm holding out for something more interesting.' I say as I draw my knife and head for the door. 'Come on, and try stay out of sight.' I peek around the doorway to get a look down the next corridor. Empty. At the end is an exterior door. Its open and I can see two feet sticking out into the doorway, one from each side. Guards on either side of the doorway on the outside. I hold my hand out behind me.

'Knife.' I wait a few seconds before I feel a knife placed in my hands. I draw my own knife in my other hand and step out through the doorway.

'Holey shit!' comes a harsh whisper from another cell along the corridor.

'Ssssh!' I say quietly to the human in the cell as I stealthily sneak towards the elites. Other humans in cells hold their breath as I silently creep past. I slowly approach the doorway, and raise both knives with my arms crossed.

'Did you hear-' I swing both knives in backhand arcs, stabbing them both into the elites throats. I step backwards as I twist the knives, dragging the two inside, then close the outside door behind them.

'Yeah!'

'Woohoo!'

'Show them bastards Matthew!' I hold a hand up to silence the whooping prisoners. I head along the row of cells, unlocking every door along the way, getting various "Way to go man" s and thanks. But of course, something goes wrong. If things never went wrong we wouldn't be stuck here in the first place.

'Guards! Prisoners!' we all swing to face the door as an elite yells outside. The group suddenly erupts into a frenzy as they push past and shove as they charge for the door. One crashes into me and knock me over as they cram through the doorway to get outside. There are gunshots echoing outside, then everything is quiet. I stand up again and grumble unsurely.

'You two! Don't move!' I ignore the order and get to my feet, looking across at Jackson to my right who looks like he's going to piss himself. Two more elites with plasma rifles dash in through the doorway. 'Who started this!' The same elite demands.

'Who do you think split-lip?' I ask as I cross my arms, giving him a no-shit look.

'Jak! That's the same guy who got Farseiree.' The one to the first's right says, pointing accusingly.

'It's rude to point. Didn't your mommy ever teach you that?' I say as I further push them.

'We sent two more guys in to get him out, where did they go?' The same elite asks the first rhetorically.

'Are we going to stand around here all day playing twenty-questions for dumbass aliens who can't put the pieces together, or are you going to shoot me? The way you're bitching I might do it myself.' I say in a cocky tone, pushing the elite to the extreme. His plasma rifle shakes at his side as he struggles to maintain himself. 'That's what I thought.' I slowly walk backwards and step back into a cell, making myself seem less confrontational and sitting on the bench playing with my knife. If these guys are planning something, I might as well piss them off first before they get to me. 'And by the way, You guys killed some friends of mine. I'm coming after you.' I say as reality finally sets in. My friends, the one's I had known for most of my life, are dead. Shot by covenant who didn't know a thing about them. I dig the blade into the back of my hand as anger swell up within me, making a silent blood-oath to myself in my state of shock and blind rage, vowing to bring death upon any elite I may meet.

They say that one life doesn't make for another. Fine by me. I don't plan on stopping at one.

'Prisoners! Wake up!' My hand carefully slides up my body to my shoulder, wrapping around my knife. I place my other hand on the bench behind me and prop myself up. There is a dead elite lying on the floor in my cell.

'Jak! This again!' The elite demands as he looks at the body.

'He thought I was asleep. I wasn't.' I say as I swing my legs over the edge of the bench. 'I'm going to tell you this one more time. Nobody. Nobody, touches my knife, but me.' I stress the last sentence as I walk up to the bars.

'Stay your blade human. I'm here to transport you.' He says as he back off.

'Good luck with that.' I say without putting my knife away.

'You would not be smart to pass up this offer human. You have been offered a chance to free yourself.' I lower my knife slightly and grunt in a confused way. Whatever this is, it can't be good. 'It's a little game. If you win, you go free.' He says with a cruel smile.

'And if I don't win?' I ask, already knowing the answer.

'I'm sure you can figure that out.' He says harshly. I stare back at him, silently weighing up the situation. I spin the knife around in my fingers and slide it back into the sheath. 'Good choice.' I step away from the door as he slides a key into it and unlocks it. He pulls the cell door open with a rough grating sound and motions to me. I slowly exit my cell at my own pace, looking about suspiciously, and walk down the corridor to my right. I can't help but notice all the other cells are empty. This isn't looking good. The elite is still marching behind me with his plasma rifle. As I head out the exterior door, two guards, one on each side of me and standing at a safe distance, peel off from the doorway and begin walking alongside me, escorting me to our destination. Actually, it sort of reminds me of being on board the iron maiden. Guards everywhere, eying your every move with suspicion… waiting… watching for any hint of violent behaviour to deal with it. I shouldn't have been there. It was an act of self-defence. But I had scared them. I'm just a scary person. Label me a risk and chuck me on board a prison ship and forget me. Bastards. The elites march me to the edge of the base, near a forest. There is a circle of elites, all surrounding a group of forty or so humans and pointing weapons. The circle breaks as we approach and the elites march me in, and then close it again. Everybody is standing silently, looking scared, angry, worried, confused. One elite stands on a pedestal in front of us.

'Humans!' he shouts commandingly. We all turn towards the elite, giving him our undivided attention. He smiles uncomfortingly as scans the group. 'You have been deemed lucky enough, to be given a chance at your freedom!' He shouts as he points accusingly. 'This,' he says as his arm swings back and he regards the forest behind him, 'is the Aitken forest, as is known in your tongue. A vast tree filled environment that spans nine hundred square kilometres. Thirty kilometres across, thirty kilometres wide. In the centre of this place, is a single hornet.' He pauses and allows us to take this in. 'A single hornet.' He says again with emphasis on the word "single". 'You will be given twenty minutes only, to escape into this forest and find the vehicle, and then,' He bares his teeth threateningly. 'We will come after you.' The elites on the forest side of the circle swing outwards. 'Your time started ten seconds ago.' The humans around me stampede out towards the forest, pushing and shoving me as they run past. They are playing the game. If it's a game they want, it's a game they'll get. I run off into the forest after the other humans as they race away. Light filters in through a green canopy. I don't pay too much attention to the landscape. I'm not that kind of guy. There is one thing I make note of, as I scramble through the bushes. Bamboo. There are shoots of it everywhere. And not many people know this, but bamboo is sharp as a bitch. I veer off to the right, jumping over a rotting log and draw my knife. I grab the shoot and saw into it with my blade. I get a good metre and a half length, then take to the ends with my knife. The process takes a good five minutes, but it's worth it. The place I have veered off from seems to be a track… that means covvies will be coming down here soon… and I want to kill every one of them. I slide myself into a bush in the side of the track, and I lie in wait. The hunters are about to become the hunted.

Time passes slowly in a bush. There's no denying it. All you have to do is stare at the same spot and smell leaves. As predicted, the aliens come, right on time. Four of them. Elites. They each carry a beam rifle. Probably to snipe us. One elite stops suddenly, not good. He sniffs the air around him, and looks at me directly. He roars triumphantly as he raises his beam rifle and fires. I make my move. As I burst out from my hiding spot, he fires. The electronic whizz of the blast doesn't echo, it just happens and then stops sharply. Then there is a smashing sound, then I attack. I stab my knife down at the elite from behind, sticking it into his neck. I yank it out and spin to my left, stabbing another elite in the back. I turn his body and use it as a shield as the other two elites raise their rifles. As they fire rounds into me, I stab out around my shield with the spear, stabbing it into the elite. I lean back and kick forward hard, sending my shield elite flying into the last alive elite. I leap over my fallen shield at the elite and plunge my knife into my foes throat as he tries to get up off the ground. I twist it violently and yank it out. Eight seconds. Four dead. Not bad, not good either. I look at the shattered mirror in the bush beside me. A convenient find, but I would have found other ways. I sheath my knife and quickly collect ammunition for the beam rifles. I sling one rifle onto my back and carry another in my hands, weighing it to get the feel of it. I look towards the way I think is the centre of the forest, the place where the hornet, surely my only hope of escape, lies, I turn around, and walk in the opposite direction. I'm not an escaper. I'm the badass motherfucker who keeps the bad guys busy while the pussies run away.

I can see the base camp up ahead. There is a break in the line of trees and I can see a building. Good. I can't see many elites as I get closer. Most of them are probably out hunting us. Got to do something to help those no-hopers. I notice an elite looking away from me, leaning against a tree at the forests edge. I walk up behind him casually. I don't run, or sneak up on him, I just walk. As I approach him, I grab the barrel of the beam rifle in both hands and hold it upside down, like a baseball bat. As I walk past him I spin towards him and swing. The handle of the weapon comes in contact with his face in a bone-crunching _Thud!_ The elites head is sandwiched between the trees and my weapon and blood goes everywhere. I spin the weapon back around as I continue walking into the camp. Not an elite to be seen. I head straight for the building I think is the barracks with my weapon ready. I raise the beam rifle over my head and smash it forward.

The top of the door explodes as the fragments rain down. I immediately raise the rifle and fire at two elites who are sitting on a bench. The shot goes right through the first's head and into the second. His head explodes in a shower of blood as another jumps to his feet. I raise my foot high and kick the door right off its hinges.

'Matt's back baby!' I shout as I step inside and fire. The shot decapitates another elite who is going for his weapon. Another runs at me with claws out. I kick out at him and hit him square in the stomach hard. I hold the beam rifle over my head in two hands, one hand at each end, and swing it down onto his neck as he doubles over, knocking him to the floor under me. Before he has a chance to get up, I raise my boot as high as I can get it and curb-stomp him with massive force. His head cracks in half as I hit him. I swing my gun around to face the right direction and fire three more rounds into one elite. He twists and writhes as he is hammered by the shots, but still manages to stand. I step forward and kick him in the upper torso. He flies backwards and smacks his head on the top of a bunk.

'_Raaaah!_' I slide my hand off the trigger of my weapon up the barrel a little more and swing the butt upwards behind me. The spike on the butt of the gun impales an elite behind me through the chin, killing him instantly as the spike pieces his brain. I draw the spike out and push the body into the wall as I turn around and head back outside the barracks. Then the siren goes. Good. That will draw those other bastards out of the forest. I wait in the centre of the base, waiting for whatever is in that forest to come out. I hear it before I see it. There is a thunderous sound and a single unified roar as the elite horde comes ducking around the trees towards me. What guns will they have? Beam rifles. Shit. Not good. I look around the area desperately; deciding now is the appropriate time to get out of here. One mongoose. Just one. It's sitting alongside the barracks. I jump onto the mongoose and twist the ignition. It coughs and splutter to life. Still working. Good. I smile as I see what's on the back of it, just behind the seat. I unstrap one beam rifle and toss it to the ground, swapping it for the shotgun. I pump it, just loving the feeling. I hold the shotgun in my right hand and gun the engine with the other as I lurch forward. A couple of beams narrowly miss me as I take off. I slide around the corner of the barracks and head off down a track. Putting the building between me and the elites. I bounce along the rough track as I hit it at full speed, getting air as I go over bumps in the track. I hear another series of engines somewhere nearby. Another mongoose bursts through the trees to my right, cutting across the track behind me. I twist the handlebars violently to the right and hit the handbrake. I kick the tail of the mongoose around as I slide 180 degrees. I raise my shotgun in my right hand and fire as the elites comes flying past me, surprised by my sudden turn. The elite on the back is killed and knocked clear off the mongoose as the driver and the vehicle continues. I slide back around and head the way I as heading, seeing a few more mongooses coming towards me. I duck down low as I see a beam fire overhead. Another mongoose explodes out of the bush to my right, just ahead of me. The elite sitting on the back opens fire with his plasma rifle as I swerve to the left. I fire a shell into him from a medium distance. He slips off slightly as the shots hit him, then is tosses off as the mongoose hits a bump. I lean backwards and pull back with all my weight, lifting the wheels up at the front. The front comes crashing down with a thud as the back wheels hit the elite's body. My face almost smacks the handlebars as I lurch forward. I see the trees beginning to part ahead. What's this? This area it supposed to be all forest. As I get nearer I realise I can see sky in the distance. Oh shit. More stray beams fly over my head as I try to figure out my next move. No escape now. It's time to fight. I speed up as I near the cliff face, trying to confuse the elites. Ten metres. I kick the tail out right and go into an epic powerslide, leaning hard to my left to keep my balance. I stop a metre from the edge and lift my left leg, sending me tumbling off the mongoose onto the ground beside the cliff edge. I roll and jump to my feet as I unstrap the beam rifle. I crouch behind my mongoose, using it as cover and lie the beam rifle across the seat as I take aim. I fire at one mongoose as it flies towards me. The beam penetrates the driver's head and knocks the passenger off as It continues. The mongoose with the dead driver continues driving. I fire erratically at the next one, the third shot connects and kills the driver. I continue to fire as the third approaches, the second shot takes him out. The first mongoose soars past me and off the cliff face. I fire at a distant fourth. The shots miss.

'Shit!' I look carefully through the scope as the elite approaches, beams flying overhead. I try to concentrate, focus on my target… I'm no sniper, but I have to try… I line up the elite as he approaches further… a little closer… a little more… my finger presses the trigger as my body tenses up. Nothing. I'm out of ammo. I toss the rifle aside and jump back to my feet as I try to jump aside. The elite's mongoose smashes mine at full speed, knocking them both off. The front of my mongoose hits me and knocks me over. The world spins wildly as I fall down. The elites have released their mongoose and are falling at the same rate as me. The ground is hundreds of metres below me… there are trees I can see. I look to my right and see the elite driver panic as he falls beside me. I reach out with one hand and grab him by the shoulder. I grab my knife in my other hand and pull myself towards him. I stab him in the stomach as I close in, and push him aside as I slowly sail through the air towards the passenger. He brings up his free arm and swats me as I stab at him. My knife catches him on the arm but he pushes my away. He snarls at me in defiance as we stare down each other, me upside down and him the right way up. I stare back at him with a strange feeling. He fingers his plasma rifle and raises it, pointing it at my head. At that point I realise I have no weapons with me. We are four metres apart, unable to get any closer, and I don't have a gun. But… I twist my body as he fires. The shots fly past my shoulder as I lift me arm, holding my knife between two fingers and my thumb. I'm not going to miss. The weight of this throw is incredible; however, my main concern is that if I miss I won't get my knife back. Dying? That doesn't really concern me. I'm going to die at some point… but my knife? I can keep that forever…

I watch in suspense (get it? Probably not) as my knife leaves my hand, flying of its own accord. Anything could have happened at that moment. My hand could have twitched as I threw, I didn't know which way up I was and gravity could have pulled the knife left, the elite could have moved himself. It was like it was destined to happen. The knife soared through the air like a holy-heat-seeking-missile… locked and armed. I watch in slow motion as blood spurts from the elite's face as the knife hits him in the eye and his head snaps back from the hit. And he is dead.

Then the world speeds up again, the ground is moving towards me at an even faster pace. I take one last look at the dead elite, at my knife, and smile. My hand goes to my opposite arm gauntlet, and presses a button. I feel a sudden energy field immobilise my body as my armour lock activates. This is not my last day. I will survive.

I open my eyes to the sky. It's blue. No clouds. It's warm. I see the distant cliff edge high above my head and smile. I pick myself up and climb out of my crater. As I put my hand on the rim of the crater I feel something. I lift me hand to look at it, and smile in satisfaction. I climb out of the crater and pick it up. I lean back against the cliff face and toy with the object, watching the sun glint off it. I look back up at the sun, just as a dark shape moves across the sky. I tilt and angle the blade towards the shape, shining a shin beam of light up as a signal. The falcon changes its course as it lowers altitude…

The man sits opposite me in the back of the falcon, smoking a cigar,

'So this isn't the falcon the elites placed in the forest?' I ask as I look about. The man gives me a confused look.

'This falcon is scouting the area. Who are you Soldier? ' He asks. I open my mouth to answer, but stop short, remembering something. I don't want to be Matthew Yates anymore. I've changed. I'm not the man who I used to me. I have become my father. I have the eyes. The emelisee.

. 'Call me… Emile…'


End file.
